Nielsen Survey Reveals How People Prefer to Use Hulu vs. Netflix

 While this might not be too surprising it seems that most people use Netflix to watch movies, and most people use Hulu to watch TV shows. What is interesting is that more people consume Netflix on their TV via a console or other device where as most people use Hulu directly on their computers.

According to the survey’s results, half of all Netflix subscribers watch movies/TV shows on a TV screen using a game console such as the Wii, PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Netflix users who watch videos on a computer make up 42 percent of subscribers, and 14 percent connect their computers to the TV.

Hulu users, on the other hand, mostly use their computers to watch videos. In fact, 89 percent of them do so. Twenty percent of Hulu users connect their computer to the TV, and only 8 percent use game consoles to watch their programs.


 So how are you using Netflix and Hulu?


  • Just a thought, but the last

    Just a thought, but the last time I looked at Hulu, their selection of movies was pretty bad while the TV selection was okay.  That alone could account for what people use to view things with.

  • This is definitely not

    This is definitely not surprising when one considers that Hulu is free to use on a PC and requires Hulu+ subscription for any access on other devices while to gain any access to Netflix, a paid subscription is required. If Netflix were free to use on a PC, I would bet there would be a lot more people viewing on the PC.

  • I am just blown away that the

    I am just blown away that the cable companies are so completely lame/lazy/clueless that they have to have the gov’t tell them what they should be doing.  Blown away.  I guess this is the new corporate America.  Ugh.

  • Funny you should ask
    I just

    Funny you should ask 🙂

    I just set up Hulu within media center today, works great (open and shut)

    a) debating the premium version, ill see how the family uses it over the next  few months

    also just setup boxee within media center (verdict still out 🙂

    Netflix has been running for about 2 years within my media center

    a) my 4 year old has been a mediacenter/streamer for the last 1.5 years

    b) did just change my plan to streaming only) but this is what they want   us to do, they want out of the DVD rental game


    Thanks Greg welch aka welchwerks

  • netflix streaming exclusively

    netflix streaming exclusively at my house, and almost entirely television shows. im an outlier

    • Well then you’re not the only

      Well then you’re not the only one, my household watches a lot more shows than movies on netflix streaming as well. I haven’t touched Hulu in so long I can’t even remember. Oh wait, I did watch one show when Hulu+ got added to xbox and they gave a free week, but that’s it.

  • Hmm, I would be curious what

    Hmm, I would be curious what the numbers are like when just comparing Hulu+ subscribers vs. netflix.  Of course Hulu is going to beat out netflix since they are free.  

    The Hulu Desktop app blows, so I wont switch to it.  The streaming quality has gotten better with the desktop app though.  I rarely use Hulu anymore, just Netflix usually since its built in to WMC7.  I have been using Revision3’s WMC app a ton.  Have they released any updates recently?  I havent checked in awhile.

  • I don’t use Hulu, but I use

    I don’t use Hulu, but I use Netflix at my house. When we do, we tend to use our TiVos due to the integrated search. We dumped our Xbox Live subscription when they raised prices. 

  • We use both Hulu and Netflix

    We use both Hulu and Netflix from within WMC. It works great, Hulu for the current shows that we stat up to date on, no Hulu+. Then Netflix comes in for movies, we are without cable and watch pretty much the same shows. Netflix gets more use than Hulu but, they are both used often.

  • I have both Netflix and Hulu

    I have both Netflix and Hulu on my media center.  I rarely watch Hulu anymore.  They have included more and more ads.  Netflix , on the other hand, is  a mainstay for me.  Reasonable price, no ads.